Hi Im back, spent the last 2 weeks in France/Belgium/Austria courtesy of my husbands employer. Im a...
Hi Im back, spent the last 2 weeks in France/Belgium/Austria courtesy of my husbands employer. Im as brown as a berry,feel great and admit to having no chance of catching up :)
Member since:19.05.2007
Reviews:85
Members who trust:148
This isn’t cheap tat as the £9.99 price tag would indicate. I was inspired to write this review because I was horrified at the price tag of most of these BP monitors. I never realised the price that some of the brands were going for. I have one of these; I also bought my dad one. I also have an Omron R6 but I have decided not to review it once I found out it was being sold for £75, you see I paid £4.99 for mine. Admittedly the Omron looks nicer than Lloyds but not that much nicer.
The Lloyds is actually a £50.00 machine but the price is reduced to £9.99. Admittedly the price cuts are not all down to altruism; Lloyds are a rapidly developing pharmaceutical market leader, their market share has increased by 67%. They have achieved this by placing pharmacies in GPs surgeries and doing free health checks i.e. diabetic and blood pressure. They also reduced
the prices of some of their products BP monitor, Tens machine and electronic thermometer to name a few. Regardless this price cut works in the consumers favour.
The Lloyds is a basic machine it just takes your BP and pulse, but really that’s all you need it to do. It doesn’t need a fancy memory or a comparative diary. 99% of users would be able to do nothing with that kind of memory and its not a good thing to mess with without a doctors advice.
The Omron is a somewhat plain looking machine, it’s an off white plastic outer, the face panel is grey and the buttons are blue, one light, one dark. The tubing is grey and about 12 inches long. The cuff is either blue or grey depending on batch, and the carry case matches the cuff. The machine is about 6 in x 4 in. It is supplied with a medium cuff; small or large are available separately at £2.99 each.It comes with batteries supplid
How to take a blood pressure correctly: The first time you take your blood pressure you should check both arms. Blood pressure frequently varies .Once you have checked both you identify which gives they highest ‘high’ reading is the one you use in future.
Factors preceding a Blood pressure check; • Measure at least one hour after eating, smoking, drinking coffee or alcohol. • Avoid checking immediately after bathing • Sit down and relax for 10 minutes before taking the measurement and remain relaxed through the procedure. It is best to sit at a table so the cuff will be at the same height as the heart, this gives a more accurate reading • Don’t move or talk while taking a measurement as this will affect the reading • When you are comfortable, place the cuff about 2 centimetres above the inner elbow joint, the pipe should come out just over the crease in your elbow, around the same place a blood sample would be taken from. • You can place the cuff over thin and loose clothing but thicker materials should be moved. Only roll the sleeve up if it will be able to go far enough up the arm and won’t create any constriction of the arm. if the machine errors out when you try it , your pulse may be weak and the machine may not be able to read it through the fabric so remove before repeating the test.
Taking the blood pressure • Place hand on the table in front of you with the palm facing towards you • Use your free hand to tighten the cuff making sure it’s in the right place • When the cuff is fastened you should still be able to get 2 fingers under it. It should not be too tight or pinch the skin. • When ready turn the monitor on by pressing the dark blue button. A display with come o and it display and should say 0 0 • Press the light blue button to inflate the cuff • The numbers on the display will quickly increase as the cuff tightens, the reading will then start to fall as you feel the cuff slowly deflate. • When the machine has finished the cuff will be deflated and the monitor will beep then automatically display the reading. • The machine displays the pulse on the right of the display as you look at it and the BP are the middle and left numbers. • Make a note of you BP. it’s written as systolic over diastolic i.e. 120/80 mmHg (millimetres of mercury) even though the electronic monitors do not contain mercury.
When blood pressure is measured you get two readings. The first reading is always the higher and is called the systolic pressure. This measures your blood pressure when your heart beats and pushes blood around the body. The second reading is the diastolic pressure and records your blood pressure when your heart is at rest between beats.
Who should monitor their BP? Anyone who: • Is overweight • Eat too much salt and too little fruit and vegetables • Don’t get enough physical activity • Drink too much alcohol • Are of Asian or African-Caribbean origin • Has stroke, heart attacks or high blood pressure in the family • Have diagnosed high blood pressure • Has high cholesterol • Are diabetic • Have heart disease • Who suffer white coat hypertension • Has been recommended by their GP or practice nurse • Smokers
Why have it checked: High blood pressure often has no symptoms, so the only way to find out whether or not it affects you is to have your blood pressure checked. If left untreated, high blood pressure can increase your chances of having a stroke or developing heart disease. It can also cause damage to other organs in your body such as your kidneys and eyes
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Really well written, detailed and informative review there indeed, and we have just bought one yesterday after reading this.............Roy......
rosehall 02.06.2007 13:15
Thanks for R&R my review.Have added you to my COT.
Great review.Interesting to see something cheaper that is good esp as it might encourage more people to check their BP.xxx
Jun 2nd, 2007
very helpful by (100%):
